Forgotten Snow
by xxNoirLovexx
Summary: Sayu Murasake is a member of a four man cell of Demon Hunters. When a mission takes her back to her home village, Konoha, she must not only face her own Demon, but also the man she left behind. Will their love be spoiled by the Demon trying to reclaim her, or will Sayu fight to save herself? Rated M for language and for later chapters. OC/Kakashi Hatake& Itachi Uchiha hinted
1. First Encounter

Forgotten Snow

Disclaimer: *Insert Disclaimer Here*

Chapter one; First encounter

The night was unusually still. The night time creatures had left the area earlier in the evening, sensing the unnatural creature's presence. The forest was silent, except for the whisper of the wind as it gently played with the leaves. And the occasional slight rustle of leaves that signalled the only proof that there was, in fact, life in the forest.

The demon raised its head towards the sky, and inhaled deeply. He knew the time to strike was soon. His master was depending on him. He sensed movement behind him and tensed. There was no way the elite ANBU could have detected him yet. He'd infiltrated them perfectly, his disguise was flawless, he'd hidden his tracks relentlessly. It just couldn't be possible! Slowly, he turned around to see who, or what, was behind him, and moulded his Chakra. He gasped at the being behind him. A yellow eye burned into his.

"Wha…" his voice caught as the creature, more deadly and unnatural than he, emerged from the darkness. Shadows peeled off him like cloth revealing a heavily bandaged face, with only one eye visible. The creature stepped forward into the moonlight. He was almost naked, except for the bandages that served as pants. His torso was slouched, and covered in an array of scars and seals. His hands held no weapon, but long, dirty fingernails, each one sharper than a kunai. This thing needed no weapons, he WAS a weapon. He cocked his head so far to the side it was almost upside down.

"Ryu…what are you doing here?" Nyoka asked the beast across from him. A chuckle escaped the creature, his voice sent icicles down Nyoka's spine.

"Making sure you don't mess up. Again." Ryu replied darkly. Nyoka glared at his colleague. _He doesn't think I can do this on my own. He has no faith in me._ Nyoka thought to himself. Ryu chuckled again,

"I cannot wait for you to undoubtable fail. My mouth waters in anticipation of the blood those vermin ninja who call themselves elite will shed." He shivered, "It excites me greatly."

"I hate to disappoint to, Ryu, but I will not fail this time." Nyoka said defiantly. Ryu smiled under his bandage,

"We will soon see." He scoffed and disappeared back into the shadows. Nyoka waited until he could no longer feel Ryu's presence, then fixed his forehead protector and went to join his fellow shinobi, unaware that he was still being watched…

Kakashi Hatake crouched in a tree watching his squad await his arrival. He was often late for important things, but this was different. He wasn't late, he was testing them. There were rookies among his squad this time, he wanted to see how well they'd respond to dangerous situations. So far, they were doing well. They stood in a circle formation, unmoving, and watching every direction. It had been two days since the Scroll of Summoning had been stolen by a group of mercenaries. Hokage-sama had already sent a Jōnin and his team to try and get it back. They'd failed.

Movement to the left caught Kakashi's attention. He threw a kunai straight passed the big man's head and it sunk into the trunk of the tree behind him.

"You should know, you can't sneak up on me." Kakashi said casually. The man laughed,

"Yes, I know. You should know, if I was going to sneak up on you, you'd be falling from this tree by now." Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"What has Hokage-sama tricked you into doing this time, Akio?" he asked. Akio Eto turned to retrieve Kakashi's kunai.

"He hasn't tricked me into doing anything. He simply asked that I deliver a gift to you." he said as he yanked the kunai out. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, although the man couldn't see it beneath his mask. _What kind of gift would Hokage-sama send to me? Surely it must benefit the mission, but I have no idea what it could be…_ Kakashi thought to himself.

"Well…what is it?" he asked Akio. Akio laughed haughtily,

"Not a 'what', a 'who.'" He said. Kakashi frowned. No outsider has ever been allowed on a ANBU mission. And the only people who knew who the ANBU members were were Hokage-sama, the village elders and Konohagakure Root. It was obvious that Akio was just sent to find the squad in the forest, not Kakashi. Akio motioned and a hooded being appeared next to him.

"Good luck, shinobi." Akio said, touched the person on the shoulder and disappeared into the night. Kakashi sized the 'gift' up. The person, a young boy he assumed, was slender, of average height, and didn't look all that talented. _Whatever Hokage-sama has planned, I hope it's for a good reason._

"Well, c'mon then." Kakashi said to the boy and jumped soundlessly to the ground. The boy followed suit.

"Gentlemen." Kakashi greeted them as his squad turned to face him, "shall we?"

"You there! Identify yourself!" commanded a member. Kakashi smiled, he'd forgotten about the boy already. He turned to see the boy standing silently beside him, still hooded. The boy began to remove his hood as Kakashi, now in close proximity stared in disbelief and interest at the definition of the boy's body.

"My name is Sayu Umari." _Not a boy after all. Hokage-sama…_ Kakashi thought as his squad was in uproar. Kakashi stared at this young girl. Her black hair cut short to just above her shoulders, her deep violet eyes were sharp, and although her face was charmingly stunning, she looked dangerous, even for a rookie. Kakashi was undoubtedly interesting in this young girl.

"Not only is she a girl, but she's a rookie Chūnin!" one said. Sayu didn't say a word. She just stood there in defiant silence, face blank.

"Hokage-sama has giving instruction that she be here! Suck it up!" Kakashi told them all.

"Sir!" they complied and fell silent. Kakashi narrowed his eyes,

"We have a mission to do, I have not lost a member of my squad yet, and I don't intend on changing that any time soon. You are elite shinobi, so start acting like it! For a reason unknown to me, Hokage-sama has put this girl on our team, so you'd better honour his decision!" He looked at each one of his five members, "Let's go."

_Sexist bastards._ Sayu thought to herself as she raced through the trees with the ANBU squad. _But I guess they have a point. I am just a girl…_ Sayu shook the thought from her head, _No, I'm not JUST a girl. I am a Chūnin and a kunoichi. _She narrowed her eyes and increased her speed to catch up to the squad leader. As she passed the squad members, she sensed a strange and disgusting chakra. The squad leader made no movements that indicated he'd sensed it too. Perhaps she was just being paranoid…perhaps.

They made it to their destination in no time at all and split into two teams to infiltrate the storehouse where the Scroll of Summoning was being kept. Team A, which consisted of 3 of the squad, would take the east entrance. Team B, which consisted of the squad leader, Sayu and the remaining 2 squad members, would take the west. When both teams were in position, they would move in together, killing anyone in their way. Sayu studied the squad leader while they waited. He was a tall, muscular man and had spikey silver hair. Although she couldn't see his face, she assumed from his voice he was only a few years older than her, and so he must have been an exceptional shinobi. She was glad that he'd wanted to keep her close. It would make her job much easier. She loosened the forehead protector around her neck and pushed it up onto her head, checked her shuriken holster and tightened it. She really needed to replace the strap.

"Sir, we're in position." said a voice over the intercom.

"Move out." He said. They raced silently towards the storehouse. One of the members threw a smokebomb through the window as they burst through the door, dangerous, ready to kill. But the sight that beheld them, stopped them dead in their tracks. The mercenaries they were supposed to dispose of, were hanging from the banisters, skinned. Some had limbs missing, some were hung by their feet as their heads had been removed. Entrails and blood covered the floor. Sayu used every ounce of her strength not to vomit and run out of there. _No. Don't fall to pieces yet. Not yet. Be strong._

"Sayu…" the leader said, "Look away." She realized she had taken a few steps and was now ahead of the team. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

"No." she said and continued walking. She was going to finish the task assigned to her by Hokage-sama himself, no matter what. As she made her way through the carnage, careful not to touch the bodies, or slip in the blood, she noticed something odd. _Hm..what? There's that chakra again…_ Suddenly the storehouse was filled with terrified and painful screams. Sayu pulled out two kunai's, just as the leader moved in front of her blocking an attack. The creature came out of nowhere! The leader knocked the creature flying backwards, it landed effortlessly, unscathed.

"Sayu, stay back." The leader said. Sayu frowned, and moved beside the leader. She stared at this thing in front of them. It looked human, with more than half its face bandaged, only revealing one yellow eye. She could tell it was tall and lanky, even though it slouched heavily. It was naked except for bandages that served as pants, no shoes, no armour. No weapons. How was it planning on killing them if it had no weapons? And then she saw. It's fingernails were long, sharp and covered in blood already. _Was this the thing that slaughtered those mercenaries?_ She thought.

"You're very clever, child." It said to her, its voice causing every hair on her body to stand on edge. The leader began creating hand seals rapidly. _There's that unpleasant chakra again…_ She glanced at the leader, _Could it be…?_

Kakashi glared at the creature in front of them. _You will not get away with this so lightly, my friend…_ The demon laughed,

"It is time…" he said and disappeared back into the shadows. Kakashi waited until he could no longer sense the demon before turning to Sayu.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her. She shook her head,

"Your men…" she began. Kakashi turned and began sprinting towards where his men were. Only one was left still alive.

"You two, carry the dead." He said to the remaining members.

"But sir…" one started. Kakashi knelt beside the shinobi who was barely alive,

"No one gets left behind." He hoisted the man up over his shoulder and carried him out. They made it back to the meeting point in no time.

"You two will take the dead back to camp. Sayu and I will tend to him." Kakashi said and looked up at Sayu who was standing over the injured man's body, in font of Kakashi. She nodded. When the men were gone, Kakashi told Sayu to stay with the shinobi while he went to find some herbs for his wounds. _What the hell was that thing? My attack didn't have any effect on it at all. It was almost like it allowed me to send it flying. It had no weapons except it nails, which were probably poisoned. And where was that foul chakra coming from? Was the owner of that chakra the thing that attacked and killed my men? What the hell is going on?_ Kakashi was too caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice her behind him.

"Thought I told you to stay with him?" he said calmly.

"You did." She replied.

"Why didn't you obey?" he asked. He heard the slight clink of shuriken. _Is she going to attack me? _

"You may be an ANBU squad leader, but you are not my Sensei or Hokage-sama." She replied. Kakashi smiled, this girl was tough.

"Why did he send you here? Surely it wasn't because of the Scroll of Summoning?" Kakashi asked.

"Hokage-sama said you were a smart one." She replied. Kakashi frowned. _Surely she doesn't know…_

"You're Kakashi Hatake, right?" Sayu asked. Kakashi froze.

"Otherwise known as the Copy Ninja." She continued. _She…knows who I am._

"So, the beast was right. You are smart." Kakashi said, making his voice sound calmer than he actually was. He began to remove his mask. If she knew who he was, if she could follow him without him detecting her, she must be powerful. He knew that he couldn't beat her with just his hand-to-hand skills or normal ninjutsu. He had to use his sharingan.

"And you are one of the most talented shinobi the world has seen. So, you should already know my reason for being here. Right?" Sayu said. Kakashi smiled again, of course he did.

"There's no possible way the Scroll of Summoning could be stolen by mercenaries. Nor would there be any way that Hokage-sama would wait two days to get it back, or send in a Jōnin and his team to retrieve it. He'd also never send a 16 year old rookie Chūnin on a mission like this." Kakashi said.

"Correct." Sayu said.

"So who are you really?" Kakashi said.

"My name is Sayu Murasake, and I've been sent to capture the traitor to the ANBU." She said. _Sayu Murasake? This year's number one rookie Chūnin? Well, that makes more sense…_ Kakashi smiled,

"I take it then you've found your target?" he turned to face her, a smile still planted on his face as he readied himself for an attack.

"Yes…" She said and loosed three shuriken.

Sayu's gaze never shifted from her target as she spoke,

"And I never miss." She watched as Kakashi pulled out his kunai to deflect the shuriken, and smiled as they sailed passed his head. He smiled again,

"You missed." Sayu smiled back, still watching her target. There was a grunt of pain from behind Kakashi. He spun around.

"No. I didn't." she said triumphantly. She walked forward to stand beside Kakashi.

"You didn't think I meant you, did you?" she asked him teasingly. He grunted as the traitor stood slowly.

"So, Ryu was right. You are smart. But tell me," he said as he removed his mask to reveal black eyes, and a snake-like face, "how did you sense me, when the great Kakashi didn't?"

"I can sense chakra's up to 10 miles away, once I'm aware of them. And yours is disgusting, demon." Sayu spat. The demons eyes flashed at her. She'd pissed it off.

"How dare you talk to me, the great Nyoka, like that you petulant child!" he hissed. Sayu just smiled. Nyoka's clothes began to melt off him as he transformed into half a snake.

"Oh, thiss iss going to be fun." He hissed as he started towards them. He charged at Kakashi first. Kakashi jumped high into the air, only to have Nyoka appear above him. He hit Kakashi with his tail and sent him crashing to the ground. Kakashi flipped at the last second and landed safely. But Nyoka was fast, and was already in front of him before Kakashi could stand. Kakashi was sent sailing. Nyoka began created hand seals.

"Shurikenjutsu!" he yelled and threw an arms-length shuriken at Kakashi. _NO!_

"Kakashi!" Sayu screamed and leaped into the path of the shuriken. Nyoka laughed as it sunk into her back. He then moved his fingers and the shuriken flew out of her back and hit her again and again. Blood sprayed from her mouth onto Kakashi's cheek.

"Sayu…" he said catching her as she fell.

"Kill him." She coughed.

Kakashi closed his eyes and stood up. When he reopened them, Nyoka could almost feel the electricity. For not the first time tonight, he was nervous.

"My turn." Kakashi said devastatingly. He began rapidly making hand seals, so fast Nyoka couldn't keep up.

"LIGHTNING CUTTER!" Kakashi roared. Nyoka stared, terrified and in disbelief. He could actually see Kakashi's chakra forming in his hand… _ Im…Impossible!_ Kakashi began sprinting towards Nyoka. _I have to move. Move. MOVE! _Fear had frozen him. He couldn't move. _"Hmm, looks like you messed up again, Nyoka"_ he heard Ryu's voice in his head. That was enough to snap Nyoka out of fear. He knew what he had to do. There was no way he could win against Kakashi. Not when he was this mad. He began forming hand seals as he bowed his head.

"Last resort." He muttered.

Kakashi was furious. He ran at Nyoka with blind anger. Nyoka would pay for what he'd done! As Kakashi came nearer, he noticed Nyoka creating seals. Seals he'd never seen before. He stopped running when Nyoka looked up at him, smiling hopelessly.

"My only hope is that I take you with me." He hissed. Kakashi's eyes widened. He was going to blow himself up. Kakashi stopped his technique, spun on his heal and started sprinting back to where Sayu was bleeding on the ground. He got to her just in time and flung himself over her to protect her from the blast. She threw her arms up around his head, to somewhat shield it from any flying shrapnel. When the smoke had cleared, he slowly pushed himself up. Sayu's hands arms were still around his neck, and for some reason, he didn't mind. He looked down at her. Her deep violet eyes were already focused on him. Her face was dirty and bloodied, a small amount of blood was still seeping out of the corner of her mouth. How had he not seen it before? In those few hours of their knowing each other, he'd never seen how truly beautiful she was. And now, covered in dirt and blood, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. His lips parted slightly as he lost himself in her eyes. She leaned towards him, and he focused on her perfect lips.

Sayu was surprised at how handsome Kakashi was. Though he was only a few years older than her, his eyes seemed to have seen many tragedies, and too much death. This close to him, so close she could feel his warm breath on her skin, she began to feel something stir inside her. This man, this terrifying, incredible and mysterious man, was making her feel…love? _Love? Love is foreign to me. And yet, I want to protect him, this man I barely know, with my life? What has happened to me?_ Kakashi noticed her conflict, but confused it with being in pain.

"Are you hurt?" he asked softly. He looked worried. _Worried? About me? Sayu, don't be ridiculous._ She smiled up at him,

"I'll be fine." He smiled down at her, his mask had be torn when he was fighting Nyoka. She slid her hand from his neck to his face, where his mask was ripped and pulled it down, exposing his face. He was breathtakingly handsome. She almost stopped breathing for a moment. She pulled him down closer to her face, kissed his cheek and released him. He stared back at her, surprise in his eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?" Kakashi asked. Sayu smiled.

"You'll see. In time."


	2. Dreams and Reality

Chapter Two; Dreams and Reality

Sayu shot up straight, panting and covered in sweat. She quickly looked around and realized she was in her room. It had just been a dream. A very terrifying, somewhat annoying, dream. _He felt so real, though…_ Kakashi Hatake. She hadn't seen him in over six years. Although he was never too far from her mind.

"But…" she said sighing, "You've never been in my dreams. Until now." Sayu stretched and slowly climbed out of bed. The morning sun had already warmed the floorboards, which reminded her of all those times she'd woken up at Kakashi's. She turned to stare at the bed. The blankets and pillows were twisted and had been tossed during her movements last night, but had somehow ended up taking the basic form of a body and was moulded to fit around her. This only reminded her of Kakashi more. Those sleepless nights and lazy mornings when she'd finally awoken to find his arm or leg, and occasionally both, draped across her body, pinning her to the bed. And when she'd turn to push him off, he'd always been grinning triumphantly at her. She missed those mornings. _Damn it! Why does this have to happen to me now!_ She thought angrily as she grabbed the pillows and threw them across the room. She'd left him. She wasn't supposed to be missing him! Sayu sighed again, remembering his face when he'd caught her leaving. She'd never seen a man so distraught, though his face was blank; it was all there in his eyes. He hadn't said a word. Hadn't asked her why, or even tried to stop her. He'd just stood there, watching while she hopelessly tried to convince him, and herself, that it was for the best.

Sayu shook her head, trying to clear the image from her mind.

"No more of that." She said squaring her shoulders and walking to the bathroom. She stared at the woman in the reflection of the mirror. She had Sayu's eyes, deep violet, Sayu's mouth and Sayu's face. The only difference was that her once pitch black hair was now silver. She touched the seal on her neck subconsciously. _I WILL find you. That is MY promise to YOU. _ She thought bitterly.

"What did the pillows do to deserve this?" Sayu looked up from her packing to her oldest friend, Yuuka Harada, and then to the pillows pinned to the wall by four kunai. Sayu shrugged,

"Practice." She lied. Truth was, she'd taken her anger out on the pillows. Yuuka laughed,

"You're one of the best liars I know, Sayu," she said, "But even you cannot lie to me. Not after all our years together." Sayu lowered her head and sighed. Yuuka was right. She'd never been able to get away with lying to Yuuka.

"So, tell me. What's got the usually calm and collected Sayu Murasake so tense?" Yuuka asked in her teasing, yet tentative way.

"I had a dream…" Sayu said softly, "about him." Sayu could almost feel Yuuka's eyes widen. _I could definitely use a drink right about now._ Sayu thought. She'd been sober for two years now. Two years without even so much as a drop of liquor. But now she was craving the bitter warm liquid more than ever.

"Sayu, I think it's time you talk about him…" Yuuka said. Sayu sighed again, and turned to her friend. Yuuka was staring at her intently, her chocolate eyes fixed on Sayu's violet ones. Sayu glanced at the dresser where her most secret possession lay hidden. She hadn't looked at it since the last time she'd been completely hammered. It had taken her months to remember what happened that night. It was Valentine's Day, and after a long, depressing morning of seeing happy couples together, she'd given in and headed to the bar, where she drank for a good twelve hours straight. That was one thing she'd been remarkably good at. Holding her alcohol. She remembered numerous men throughout the night trying to pick her up, and failing. Until one. She'd only remembered his eyes. Those unforgettable eyes. She'd seen him staring at her from across the room when she first entered the bar. Dark eyes fixated on her. After an hour of no one making a move, she finally made her way over to his table. She'd slammed her drink down in front of him, he hadn't even flinched.

"_What the hell are you staring at!"_ She had demanded from him. The man smiled and looked up at her. She gasped at collapsed in the chair behind her.

"_Uchiha…"_ She whispered. He had the sharingan. Just like Kakashi's left eye.

"_What's your name?" _He had asked her. She told him willingly. Had it been any other night, where she hadn't already been drinking, she would have left. But alcohol had taken over her mind, and she'd found this man attractive. It wasn't long before he'd escorted her home. But amidst drunken kisses and fumbling, something else had awoken in her. Pure anger. She'd been interested in this man purely because he was an Uchiha, and had the sharingan, reminding her of Kakashi. And those thoughts had bewitched her into thinking this man, a stranger she'd never seen in her life, to be Kakashi. But he moved differently, smelt differently and tasted differently. This man was not Kakashi, and so her body rejected him. She pushed him away from her. He wasn't expecting it, and so he'd slipped on a discarded shirt and fell onto her bed.

"_Dominating, are we?"_ He mused.

"_Get out." _She said. He frowned, but stayed where he was. She stood, in the moonlight, head down, not wanting to look at him. What was she doing? It'd been four years since she'd felt a man's touch. She ached for it. She knew she wanted this man, sitting half naked on her bed, but her mind and body told her otherwise. He began talking again, softly, trying to soothe her, while he stood and started walking towards her. He reached to touch her waist.

"_Uchiha…"_ She said as she slowly looked up at him. Her eyes burned into his, furious.

"_Get. Out."_ The man narrowed his eyes at her and clenched his fist. For a moment, she was sure he was going to get pissed, beat her and then have his way with her. And in her current state, she would be unable to stop him. Instead, he grunted and left, picking up his clothing as he went. Sayu had stood there for a good ten minutes, thinking about Kakashi. Fury and pure hatred rose within her. Hatred at herself. She suddenly became very aware of what was going on around her. Her alarm clock was ticking. She walked over to it, picked it up and flung it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud and broke. She began tearing through her room. Throwing and smashing everything. She was in a white rage. All she wanted to do was destroy! She pushed off all her photos and trinkets on the dresser and smiled when they shattered on the ground. She began opening the draws one by one and tossing out all of her clothes and throwing the draws around. In one of the draws she discovered a small, plain wooden box. She opened it to find a chain necklace. She carefully took the necklace out and clutched it, as tears began to form. She sank to the floor and cried. That was how Yuuka and their colleague, Masuto Chikamatsu, had found her the next morning.

Sayu looked away from the dresser and back to Yuuka who was staring at her with worry in her big chocolate eyes. Sayu smiled sadly at her friend,

"I think you may be right, Yuuka."

"Wow, that's quite a story." Yuuka said over her fifth cup of tea, "This Kakashi Hatake sounds like quite a guy." Sayu smiled,

"He is."

"I can't believe you haven't seen him or even spoken about him in six years." Yuuka said, sipping her tea.

"Seeing him isn't an option. I hurt him too much. I know he'd never forgive me even if I told him the truth of why I left." Sayu replied. Yuuka looked up from her tea,

"You never told him?" Sayu shook her head and touch her neck,

"He would have tried to help me." Yuuka nodded, understanding. Sayu looked up at the clock on her wall. _Almost twelve….Masuto will be here so-_ Her thought was interrupted by her door being flung open. She and Yuuka glared at the tall blonde man standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. He had his usual stuck up grin on his face.

"Ladies." He greeted him.

"Don't you ever knock?" Sayu asked him. Masuto's face fell,

"You're never happy to see me, Sayu." He said, disappointed.

"Yuuka, Sayu, Masuto. Time to go." Their leader, Daiki Abukara, commanded from behind Masuto. Daiki wasn't overly tall, nor was he short. He was very muscular, and with orange hair and green eyes, stood out amongst most people they met. But then, the four of them were exceptionally unique. Sayu was, as most people said, uncommonly stunning. Yuuka was taller than most women and very curvy, she had no shame in showing her assets off either, especially in her fishnet shirt that stopped just below her breasts, the white cloth underneath that she wrapped around them, and her low cut shorts. Masuto, although arrogant and annoying, was incredibly charming. His bright light blue eyes were framed by his long blonde hair and perfectly chiselled face. The only blemish on his otherwise perfect complexion was the cross scar on his left cheek. Though most people thought they looked too weak or perfect for their jobs, they were often incredibly mistaken.

After grabbing her pack, the four of them left the apartments and headed for where their target was causing trouble.

It'd had been over month since they'd left Kumogakure, quietly stalking their target, and Sayu was still unaware of their destination. Although it plagued her constantly, she didn't ask Daiki. She never questioned where they were going if he didn't say.  
"Hey, Daiki, why didn't we just take a boat? It would have been faster." Masuto complained as he collapsed onto a rock to rub his feet.

"Tired again, Masuto?" Yuuka teased. He threw his shoe at her.

"Masuto, Yuuka! Enough." Daiki said, "We're close." He disappeared up into the trees. He was quickly followed by Yuuka and Masuto, after he regained his shoe. Sayu closed her eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd been here before. This place seemed so familiar to her, but she couldn't quite work out why.

"Sayu, hurry up!" Yuuka called back to her. Sayu shrugged and leapt into the trees to follow her team. She quickly caught up to Daiki.

"We're near Konoha, right?" she queried. Daiki glanced at her, and nodded once. _Konoha….no wonder he didn't tell me…_ She knew that if he'd told her before they left Kumogakure, there was no way she'd go. She dropped back to Yuuka.

"You worked it out then." She said. Sayu nodded.

"Usual routine, right? Kill the target, recuperate for a day, collect payment and leave?" Sayu asked. Yuuka nodded,

"Total of one and a half days." She replied. _One and a half days…I can avoid him for that long._

The sun had just set when she left it. That disgusting chakra that she'd become so well acquainted it.

"It's close." She said, "To the east." Daiki nodded in and began heading in the direction the demon was in.

"Yuuka." He said as they raced towards it. Yuuka dropped back a little and began forming seals.

"There's two of them. The beast, and a man. He's strong." She said. Sayu frowned. She hadn't sensed any other chakra.

"Sayu, why hadn't you picked up on that?" Daiki asked her.

"Getting a bit slack, huh Sayu?" Masuto teased. _No, it's because I was told to focus on the demon's chakra, asshole._ Sayu stopped and sat cross-legged on the tree branch. Yuuka stopped next to her.

"Are we this close already?" Masuto asked her from the tree in front. Sayu shook her head,

"But we're close enough. I want to see how strong the other person is." Sayu began making rapid seals and casted her senses out. It was only a matter of time before she found them. The beast was easy, it's chakra was powerful and undesirable. Yuuka was right, the man engaging the beast was strong. Sayu gasped, and jumped up. _I know that chakra._ She began sprinting towards the two.

"Sayu…Wait!" Daiki shouted. She ignored him and kept running. _No, no, no, no!_

She stopped just before the clearing and stared in horror at what she saw below. The demon, although not as big or powerful as ones she'd fought before, had cornered the heavily wounded man and was about to deliver the final blow. Sayu gathered a small amount of chakra in her feet and leapt into the air. She soared a good hundred metres before landing a few metres away from the battle. She rolled and began sprinting towards them, forming seals as she ran. The man's legs finally gave and he collapsed just as she jumped between him and the beast.

"Chakra Destroyer!" Sayu screamed and forced almost all of her chakra into a large ball between her hands and threw it towards the demon with blinding speed. It sunk into the demon's chest as it was propelled backwards. Sayu hunched over, panting. Her body ached, her vision was darkening, she was going to faint. _Damn you…_ she thought as she slowly raised her head to look at the demon. _I'll kill you if you… _Sayu fainted before she finished her thought.

Everything was blurry as she slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling, willing her eyes to clear. It was too familiar to her. There was faint whispering around her. _Ugh. I'm in hospital._ Sayu sat up, wincing at the pain that shot down her spine.

"Ahh. You're finally awake." Commented a very familiar voice from beside her.

"Ugh. Yuuka. How long was I out?" she asked, taking deep breaths to settle the pain.

"Three days. You used almost all of your chakra. You should be dead." Yuuka replied. Sayu closed her eyes, remembering the forbidden technique she'd created.

"Don't remind me." She said. Yuuka gave a short laugh. That was Yuuka's way of showing she cared. By teasing or laughing at something. Strange, but it was somewhat comforting.

"Sayu..." a deep, gruff voice greeted her.

"Daiki…I'm sorry I…" She began but Daiki held up a hand and cut her off.

"Save it for later. We have a meeting. Get dressed." He was gone as swiftly as he had arrived.

"He's pissed." Sayu remarked. Yuuka laughed again and handed Sayu and paper bag.

"I got these for you." Sayu opened the bag and pulled out the contents. A one sleeved black shirt, a fishnet shirt much like Yuuka's, and a pair of black thigh length pants.

"What happened to my other clothes?" Sayu asked as she re-folded the pants.

"Nothing. They're in you hotel room. But we weren't sure whether you'd wake up soon or not, so we left them there and I bought you these. Besides, you need a new outfit." Yuuka said triumphantly. Sayu looked down at her current garb. They'd put her in the normal white hospital gown. _Looks like I have no choice._ Yuuka pulled the curtains shut while Sayu began to get changed. The good thing about Yuuka buying her clothes was that she knew exactly what size Sayu was. They'd been friends since they were both very young. Both being outcasts, they quickly became friends, and were the most unstoppable team. Sayu looked at the her reflection in the window. The clothes, although somewhat scandalous, much like Yuuka, were very flattering. The fishnet undershirt had a sewn in black piece of fabric that covered her breasts perfectly, since the over shirt revealed her right breast as it wrapped around her side. The left sleeve stopped halfway down her arm and was skin tight. As were the shorts.

"Your ass looks great in those." Masuto commented from the doorway.

"Masuto! Get out!" Yuuka yelled at him. He raised his hands in submission.

"Daiki told me to come get you two. They're waiting for us." He said grinning. Sayu rolled her eyes at his cheek. _The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave._ She thought as she followed Yuuka and Masuto out of the hospital. They made their way quickly to see the Fifth. As they walked, they passed the great monument, honouring the past Hokage's. The First, Hashirama Senju, the Second, Tobirama Senju, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Fourth, Minato Namikaze and the Fifth, Tsunade. _When had that appeared?_ She thought while staring at recent resealing of a crack in the Third's face.

The Hokage Residence was the one of the grandest buildings in Konoha. Yuuka and Masuto marvelled at the wonders on the inside, while Sayu tried to repress her memories. The last time she was here, she was just sixteen and receiving orders from the Third himself. How she missed that old man. She'd mourned for three weeks when she had received the news of his death.

"You three took your time." Daiki remarked quietly as the met up with him outside the door to the Fifth's office.

"It's time." Said the guard to the left as the one on the right opened the door. Sayu lowered her head as the four of them entered the room, and bowed.

"Hokage-sama." Daiki greeted her, "We sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting." Tsunade chuckled,

"I've become accustomed to people being late." she said "What's this? Kakashi Hatake with no response?" With that comment, Sayu looked up and straight into the black eye and masked face of Kakashi Hatake, who shared, what she assumed to be a similar look. _Just my luck. It seems the gods find tormenting me quite humorous._

"Sayu." Daiki summoned her.

"Sir." She said and forced herself to look away from Kakashi. Daiki motioned for her to move forward. She complied, and bowed to Tsunade.

"I hear that you are the one who destroyed the demon, almost losing your life in doing so." She said. Sayu looked up to see Tsunade smiling at her.

"Yes." She replied, _Although it wasn't for Konoha._ She willed herself not to glance at Kakashi.

"Hokage-sama." Said a voice that gave her goosebumps.

"Hmm?" Tsunade responded.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to leave." Kakashi said.

"Oh yes. Your team must be growing impatient." She replied waving her hand gracefully, giving him the signal to leave. He bowed and began to walk out of the room. Sayu couldn't help but watch him leave. He hadn't changed at all. Besides his age, he was still just as she remembered. Mysterious, tall, muscular, incredibly handsome.

"So, that's Kakashi Hatake." Yuuka whispered.

"Hm. Doesn't seem so great." Masuto commented. Sayu ignored his comment as she watched the door slowly close. Yuuka nudged her.

"Go. We'll cover you." She said.

"Thank you." Sayu replied as she quickly left the room. He was already halfway up the hallway by the time she caught up to him.

"Hatake." She called, using just his last name. Kakashi stopped immediately, but didn't turn around. Neither said a word.

"Thank you." He said just as the silence was becoming unbearable, "For saving my life."

"I didn't stop you for your gratitude." Sayu replied. _Why am I doing this. It's hurting both of us…_

"Then why did you?" he asked, still not facing her. She knew why, it hurt him to see her. She lowered her head, she couldn't look at him anymore. Knowing what she'd given up. Who'd she'd given up, it was still painful.

"I…" she whispered. _Why, at a time like this, does my tongue feel like lead?_ She'd stopped him to apologize for hurting him, but she just couldn't find the ability to speak. Kakashi huffed,

"I see." He said. When she thought he'd left she turned to go back to the others.

"Sayu…" She stopped mid-turn and looked back at where Kakashi was still standing, his head was turned so he could see her.

"Nice hair." And with that he headed down the hallway, passed some rookie chūnins and disappeared around the corner. Sayu stared after him. _Nice hair? What the hell was that supposed to mean Kakashi!_

"How'd it go?" Yuuka asked behind her. Sayu turned to see the three of them walking out. Daiki, to her surprise, didn't look furious at all. Although Masuto was displeased that Sayu had followed Kakashi. The four of them kept walking down the hallway.

"Kakashi-sensei is so cute!" exclaimed one of the rookies.

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend?" said the other. Sayu glared daggers at them.

"Oh, that bad." Yuuka remarked, "Killing them won't solve anything." Sayu grinned sinisterly,

"It'd make me feel better." _Jeez, I really need a drink._

"What? You mean we have to stay here longer?" Masuto exclaimed, spitting ramen everywhere. Daiki nodded,

"We've been asked to stay by the Hokage herself. So, we will." He said. Masuto muttered curses and sulked.

"Great. That just means more time to…get to know the village." Yuuka said, even though everyone knew she was hinting something else. Sayu didn't say anything, just stared at her untouched pork ramen. _This just keeps getting worse. What am I going to do? Well, it's only for a few weeks, and if I'm careful I can avoid Kakashi easily. Yes, that would work!_ She sighed. _No it won't._

"Hmm?" she said after hearing her name several times. Yuuka, Daiki and Masuto were all staring at her.

"You haven't touched your ramen." Masuto repeated. Sayu pushed the bowl down to him.

"You have it. I'm not hungry." She stood, placing money down for her bowl, and turned to leave, "I'm going to go clear my head. Don't wait up." Yuuka began to protest but Daiki quickly stopped her. Sayu walked down the busy, familiar streets, searching for her destination. _Why does this have to happen to me? Even after all these years, he still has this effect over me. I could have, if I wasn't so stubborn, moved on and been happy with another man. Perhaps even that Uchiha guy. What was his name…Itachi? But no, of course not. Damn that Kakashi still having this effect on me. Hell, the Uchiha guy was even cute. The gods must really have it in for me._ Being so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't realized she'd walked straight into a bar and was about to sit down.

"What can I get you?" The barman asked her with a cheery face. _Huh? Hmm, well I guess since I'm already here…_

"Warm sake." She replied sitting down.

"Haven't seen you in here before. I'd remember a pretty face like yours. So, what's your name?" asked a tall man with a scar running down his cheek asked her. He wasn't at all attractive, and she hadn't even had any alcohol yet.

"Look, you already know I'm way outta your league, so why don't you go while your dignity is still intact." She said, downed her sake and nodded to the barman for a refill. The man muttered something and walked off. She downed her next cup and motioned for another.

"Leave the bottle." She told the barman.

"Rough day?" he asked placing the bottle next to her cup. She shrugged,

"One way of putting it." The barman chuckled and went back to serving the other patrons. That's how she stayed, downing sake like water, rejecting the guys who thought they were lucky enough. Occasionally engaging in small talk with the barman and slowly getting drunk. Each time she was about to call it quits another wannabe suitor tried to charm her. Each time she'd shoot him down and ask for more sake. For the twentieth time that night, she made a move to stand and leave, only to be interrupted by another man. She sighed and poured another shot.

"Hey baby, I've been watching you since you got here. You've turned down almost every man in this bar. So me and my buddies made a bet." He slurred. Sayu repressed a laugh.

"And what is this bet?" she asked, still bent over her sake. The man laughed,

"That I can take you home." Sayu let out a dark chuckle.

"Let's make a new bet?" she suggested, "How about you turn around, go back to your buddies and give them whatever amount of money you owe them, and I won't publically kick your fat, drunken ass?" She could feel the anger radiating off the man. _This will be interesting._

"You conceited bitch!" he roared and from the corner of her eye Sayu saw the man raise him arm and bring it down. But the impact she was bracing for clashed centimetres from her back. _Hmm?_

"That seems like a fair deal to me, don't you think Hiroki?" said a voice she'd tried to block out.

"Ka-kakashi…." The man named Hiroki stuttered, "I..ah..um."

"I think you should buy this woman a drink for not beating the crap out of you." He said.

"Uh..yes! Another sake." Hiroki said, "I apologize, miss." Sayu waved her hand in the same manner as Tsunade did earlier that day. He left quickly. Kakashi sat on the stool next to her.

"Didn't think I'd find you here." He remarked. Sayu scoffed as she pushed the newly purchased sake to him.

"A lot changes is six years." She replied. Kakashi drank the sake before he spoke,

"And yet you're still as beautiful as ever." Sayu glared at her sake. _Is he trying to be cute?_ She glanced up at him. He was staring ahead, his face showed no emotion. Which meant he was serious.

"And you're still as mysterious." She sighed. Kakashi turned to her then and smiled.

Over many more sake's the two talked about their lives over the six years they hadn't seen each other. All the while, Sayu was growing more intoxicated and less in control of her words. Kakashi had just gotten through telling her about the members of his team, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. It was the name Uchiha that caught her memory. _Perhaps a relative of the Uchiha I met…_

"Kakashi…" Sayu said softly.

"Hmm?" she felt him turn to look at her, but she was staring ahead.

"I'm sorry." She began.

"You haven't done any…" he started but she interrupted,

"Let me finish damn it!" Kakashi stayed silent, "I'm sorry. About that day. And for not telling you why. Or not seeing you until now." She felt the tears that had been building slowly trickle down her face.

"And for never telling you how much you meant to me. What you still mean to me." She turned to him then. She'd never cried in front of anyone since she was young. She'd always hidden her sadness with anger. Even when she was with Kakashi.

"I…" Kakashi put a finger to her lips, stopping her words. He smiled,

"You're drunk." Sayu laughed as the tears continued to flow,

"Sayu, you never needed to say those words. I knew all along. Just as you know with me. We're one of those truly blessed people, who have no need to say how we feel to each other, because the other already knows. If I was still mad at you for leaving, I would have just let you faint onto the ground instead of breaking your fall. And we wouldn't be having this discussion. Just like how I know how you feel about me, you never would have risked your own life for me. Or be crying in front of me, and an entire bar. You also wouldn't be wearing my necklace." He said as his finger trailed down her chin to her neck to touch the necklace.

"I forgave you a long time ago, Sayu. I know you, you never do anything without having a good reason for it." He continued. More tears formed in Sayu's eyes as she stared at the man in front of her.

"Now, let's get you home before you pass out." He said. Sayu smiled and nodded.

"Can you stand?" he asked her.

"Yes I can stand." She hissed at him. But her body didn't want to cooperate with her words. She stumbled and fell right into Kakashi's arms as he caught her. With her head against his warm, hard chest, she inhaled his scent. He smelt like earth, a faint floral smell and soap. She buried her face deeper into his clothes. She felt him shake his head, and chuckle slightly. The noise rumbling in his chest sent shivers down her spine.

"Your stubbornness hasn't changed either, I see." He said softly, giving her more shivers. She felt him bend down and soon her feet were off the ground. He adjusted his grip on her, moving her up so her face was now buried in his neck. His soft hair brushed against her face. She faintly heard him ask how much she owed but she never heard a reply. She had delved into darkness.


	3. The Secret Truth

Chapter three; The Secret Truth

Sayu woke with the most intense headache she'd ever had. The pain had ruined her dream about lying in the snow. She slowly opened her eyes to find she was facing a wall. She frowned, _How did I get home?_ Her eyes trailed along a line slightly lighter than the wallpaper. The line led to a fist sized patch of pale colour. She closed her eyes, remembering.

"_You are so stubborn sometimes" _he had said casually leaning against the door, book in his left hand, and his right in his pocket. That stance irritated her when she was pissed off. Especially when she was pissed off at him. She'd glared at him,

"_And you are so lazy!" _She'd yelled at him. Of course, he acted like her words didn't affect him. That just pissed her off more. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"_All you care about is that stupid perverted book these days. I bore you now, is that it?"_ It was a low blow, and she knew it, but she'd wanted some kind of response from him. Kakashi's expression didn't change, instead he flipped open the book and began to read it. _Damn that Jiraiya!_ Sayu lost control of her anger then. She seized the book out of Kakashi's hand and flung it across the room. It sailed straight out of the window.

"_Look at me damn you!"_ She'd screamed. He stared out of the window. Sayu clenched her fist and went to punch him. He didn't move. Her fist connected with his cheek. The punch itself wasn't strong, she didn't want to seriously hurt him. Kakashi closed his eyes as she punched him again. _Why isn't he fighting back, or at the least avoiding them?_

"_Fight me!"_ She commanded him as she threw another punch.

"_No." _He'd said softly. Her rage flew out of control she gave up on hitting him, and instead took it out on his place. As she smashed and broke plates and glasses, photo frames, and ripped clothes, she swore and cursed him. Although their fight had been because he was an hour and a half late for their dinner date he had planned. And hadn't even bothered to come up with a reasonable lie. But at that point Sayu was too pissed off to form sentences that had anything to do with that.

"_There's someone else, isn't there Kakashi? That's why you've been reading that damn book! Why don't you just say it?" _She screamed as she punched the wall next to his bed, _"You don't…"_

"_Enough, Sayu." _He'd whispered against her ear as he held her tight from behind. Sayu closed her eyes to fight back the tears. Later, when she'd calmed down he told her that he'd never fight her, even if she'd tried to kill him, because he couldn't bear to see her hurt. He'd go crazy if she was hurt because of him. And that the reason he was late was because he was visiting Obito. She'd felt like such an idiot.

Sighing, Sayu rolled over, expecting to see Kakashi. But instead, the space next to her was empty. She sat up, how long was she asleep for? She climbed out of the bed and headed for the kitchen.

"Huh. Empty as well." She thought out loud. As she was about to go to the bathroom, her attention was caught by a note on the table. It was from Kakashi.

**Sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up. It would have been quite interesting to see your face. I made a tonic for your head; I expect it should be hurting right now considering how much alcohol you had. I'll see you soon.**

**-Kakashi.**

Putting the note back down, Sayu poured a glass of the tonic Kakashi had left on the table next to the note. She felt instantly better after swallowing the thick, bitter liquid. A gentle breeze swirled the various smells of Kakashi's place around, his particular scent mixing with the faint smell of fruits and cleanliness. Sayu inhaled the smell, only to find it lasted a moment. The smell was replaced by the disgusting odour of last night's alcohol. She forced down vomit that was threating to surface, gripping the table with shaky hands. _I've got to get out of these clothes._ Once she was sure she wasn't going to throw up and the dizziness had cleared, she slowly made her war to the bathroom.

"Well there's a sight I haven't seen in a while." He said as he closed the door behind him. Sayu looked up from the book she was reading and smiled her best innocent smile.

"My clothes smelt horrid. So I showered and stole some of yours." She said tugged slightly at the oversized white shirt, "Plus I picked a shirt I know you never wear." Kakashi smiled as he sat down in the chair across from her, plucking a few grapes from the bowl of fruit in the middle of the table, but he didn't eat them. He was staring at the shirt she was wearing. It was the same one she used to wear to bed when he was away on missions. She hadn't meant to pick that shirt, but while she was digging around for something, she'd pulled it out and knew that he never wore it. He'd said it was an impulse buy, and had only worn it once. It had been the shirt he'd tossed to her when she'd first spent the night. She'd been completely exhausted and drenched from the mission that night, and was supposed to give some information to him about it, but instead he'd insisted on her staying the night since she was barely able to stand. _Although there wasn't much sleeping that night._ She reminisced. The shirt came down to her thighs, so she had tied her forehead protector around her middle as a makeshift belt and fashioned the shirt into a dress.

She continued reading the passage she was up to and noticed something somewhat familiar.

"So, this is where you got that idea from." She giggled looking up at him, "These books you read are perverted, Kakashi, but then, I don't expect any less from Jiraiya." Kakashi frowned and looked down to the Icha Icha book that was opened in front of her.

"Uh…" he mumbled, becoming embarrassed, which only made her laugh more. His cheeks just above his mask became light red as he joined in with her laughing, grinning beneath his mask. _I can't remember the last time I heard him laugh like that._ She thought while staring at his mask. Her laughter began to subside. _It's been too long since I've seen his face._ She was the one of the only people he'd never wear his mask around in private, and the only person he'd be completely honest with. She wondered if, in the years they'd been apart, if there had been someone else who'd seen him so regularly without his mask. Kakashi stopped smiling, noticing the look on her face. His eye mimicked the bittersweet feeling. Sayu, swallowed and slowly rose. Kakashi frowned as she leant across the table and reached around the back of his head. She undid his forehead protector and it fell to the table. He didn't move as her fingers slid beneath the hem of his mask, until she pulled it down. Sayu was surprised at his reaction. She'd just wanted to see his face, but as she was about to pull away and sit back down, he'd grabbed her arms and pulled her forward into a passionate kiss. At first she was shocked, but then quickly responded as the familiar kiss deepened. He tasted just like she remembered, the sweet taste of fruit mixed with nuts and spices. His lips were as soft as clouds and it wasn't long before she was high from his taste. He pulled her closer, so she had no choice but to climb onto the table as she wasn't willing to let this feeling go. As she reached the middle, he rose, letting go of one of her arms to knock the bowl of fruit away. It clattered to the ground, spilling fresh fruit all over the ground. Kakashi raised her arms up around his neck, then ran his hands down her arms, over her shoulders and down her sides until he reached her thighs. She let him pull her forward and lift her up. She responded unconsciously to this well-known move, and wrapped her legs around him. After what seemed a heavenly lifetime, Kakashi began his next move. Moving away from her mouth, he kissed her cheek, and then moved down to her neck, shoulder then finally back up to her neck. Sayu leaned closer to him, letting out a pleasurable sigh, inhaling his scent and closing her eyes. He stopped kissing her neck as she felt him move, not in the direction of the bedroom, where she expected him to go, but to sit down. She was debating whether or not to question what he was doing when he whispered,

"Forgive me for being so forward. But words could not explain how much I've missed your touch." His breath was hot against her ear. It sent shivers down her spine whenever he whispered huskily. She wanted him so badly; her body ached for his touch. Ached so much it hurt. But just as she was about to move in for his sweet spot, he pushed her back.

"Sayu, you're shaking." He said concern across his face.

"Am I?" she said removing her hand from the back of his neck to study it. She'd been so caught up in him she hadn't realized she was, indeed, shaking. Kakashi gave a low chuckle and pulled her to him in a tight, warm embrace. With her head against his hard chest, she listened to his heartbeat. She almost fell asleep to the strong, steady beat.

Loud knocking at the front door woke them both up. Sayu moaned,

"Just when I was finally getting a good night's sleep." Kakashi chuckled and continued to draw patterns on her back. Another three knocks. Sayu looked up at him,

"Shouldn't you be getting that?" she asked. He just grinned back and shrugged,

"They'll go away. Eventually." He then added in a more seductive tone, "Then we can get back to other, more pleasurable things." Sayu laughed and kissed his collarbone, earning a low, almost beastlike, moan from him.

"Sayu! Wake up!" said the knocker. Sayu frowned, that voice belonged to Masuto. _How did they know I was here?_ She looked up at Kakashi, who had now closed his eyes, and was relaxing like he didn't hear the yelling.

"Sayu, get your lazy ass out here!" Yuuka called to her. Suddenly, everything began to get darker and hazier. Sayu sat up and looked around, confused.

"What is going on?" she asked. When no reply came, she turned to look at Kakashi. He hadn't moved, but he'd also become darker and more opaque.

"Sayu!" Yuuka yelled, sounding like she was right in front of her. Suddenly there was a sharp pain and slight burning on her left cheek and a weight on her chest. And then it all made sense.

"Yuuka…get off me." Sayu said groggily as she woke up from the dream she was having.

"Get dressed." Yuuka said sternly as she got off Sayu. Sitting up, Sayu gingerly rubbed her cheek where Yuuka had slapped her.

"Why'd you wake me up?" she yawned, "I was having the best dream."

"Dream about Hatake later. We have bigger problems." Yuuka said as she made her way to the door. Sayu frowned and turned to her friend.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Yuuka stopped and turning slightly said,

"He's here."

"How long have you known he was here?" Sayu demanded angrily as she, Yuuka and Masuto quickly made their way to where Daiki was staying. The night was silent, the moon full and there was no breeze at all.

"I sensed him nearby, and headed to you straight away. Masuto met me on the way." Yuuka said. Sayu frowned, _They both knew before me, and yet I couldn't feel a thing. I still can't feel his presence. Although this night is definitely eerie._

"Sayu?" Masuto repeated.

"Hmm? Sorry. What did you say?" she asked, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Please try to pay attention, Sayu." He said, sounding more like a leader than his usual complaining self, "I asked if you had felt him around?" Sayu shook her head,

"No." Both Masuto and Yuuka stared at her in confusion just as an unnatural wind picked up, swirling leaves around them. It was then she felt him. Her neck twinged in sharp pain and she instinctively touched it, as if soothing the pain. Her heart began to pound rapidly as a cold shiver went down her spine. Her body felt glued to the spot and she resisted the urge to break down and cry out of sheer terror. The cold wind circled her head. _It sounds like laughter…sinister laughter…_ she thought as the wind brushed her ear. Sayu hugged her chest for comfort as she realized, it didn't just sound like laughter, it was laughter.

"Sayu…" Masuto whispered, genuinely worried, as Yuuka placed a hand on the middle of Sayu's back.

"You feel him don't you." Yuuka stated, gently coercing her to move forward. Sayu's tongue felt as heavy as lead as she tried to respond to Yuuka. All she could manage was a pitiful whimper. She hated the effect he had on her. Not many things scared her in the world, but the one thing that terrified her more than losing Kakashi, was **him**.

"Ryu…" Sayu whispered, barely audible.

"Masuto, looks like you're going to have to carry her. She's almost in **that** stage again." Yuuka said once her gentle pushing had failed. Masuto obeyed immediately, walking over to pick Sayu up. Sayu barely registered what Yuuka had said, but her body was two steps ahead of her mind. It wasn't until she tasted blood that she realized she'd bitten her lip. In her years of running from Ryu, she had trained her body to snap her mind out of the terror. It seemed like the training had paid off.

As Masuto reached to pick her up, she gently slapped away his hand.

"It's okay," she said shaking her head and taking a few steps forward, "I'm okay." She was glad she sounded more confident than she actually was.

"Are you sure?" Yuuka asked her. Sayu looked at the stone road. _You're far from okay, aren't you. Typical Sayu, you act tough but when it comes to him you're nothing more than a petrified rabbit._ She thought bitterly.

"Let's just get Daiki and go see the Fifth." She said numbly.

"And you're positive it's him?" Daiki asked as they were led to Tsunade's office by two Chūnins.

"Quite sure." Yuuka said, "I wasn't one hundred percent sure until Sayu…."

"Hmm." Daiki sighed, "I didn't think he'd follow us this far" Sayu could feel Masuto watching her, keeping a close watch on her movements. She knew he wasn't doing it just to make sure she was ok, but to see just how close Ryu was getting. _Ryu_. She shuddered at the mere thought of his name. Even though many years had passed since she'd escaped him, deep down she knew he'd never stop until he'd found her again. Although she had hoped, after no sign of him had been found, that he had given up, or died. She'd desperately hoped for the latter. But she knew he wasn't. If he was, she would have felt it safe to return to Konoha permanently. It seemed that the semi-demon they'd killed only a few days before hadn't really been trying to destroy Konoha, or kill the Hokage, but lead her back to where it all began.

Sayu had been so deep in her thoughts she hadn't noticed her small party had stopped, until she ran into one of the Chūnins. He turned and caught her as she stumbled back. He had long spiky black hair and dark eyes. He wore a strip of bandage over his nose and had a marking on his chin, the same colour as his hair.

"Sorry." Sayu mumbled. The man smiled as he steadied her. _Hmm, he's kind of cute, for an older guy._

"It's easy to get lost in thoughts." He said, still smiling, "Almost as easy as it is to get lost in those eyes. _Huh, he's flirting with me at a time like this? Men._ Sayu thought, although not mad at the man. He was cute after all.

"It seems as though you're always getting 'lost in your thoughts' as you put it, Kotetsu." The other Chūnin teased. Kotetsu straightened and scratching the back of his head grinned at his comrade.

"You should try it one day, Izumo." He replied. The other Chūnin, Izumo, turned around to face us. _It seems Konoha's males have gotten much better looking since the last time I was here._ Sayu thought, looking over Izumo. He had brown hair that covered his right eye and wore his forehead protector like a bandanna.

Just as Izumo was about to reply, the door opened and a ninja chewing on a senbon appeared.

"Kotetsu, Izumo. What do you need?" he addressed his comrades.

"Genma-san," Izumo started, "they said they needed to see Lady Tsunade." For a moment, Genma just continued to chew on the senbon, sizing up Sayu and her party.

"It's extremely important." Yuuka said. Sayu closed her eyes momentarily and a terrifying image showed it's eye.

"_So you are here."_ He laughed darkly, _"You'll be home soon, child."_ Sayu screamed and collapsed onto the floor, gripping her head and trying to open her eyes. She felt two sets of arms wrap around her and the voices of people trying to comfort her. Ryu released her and she opened her eyes hesitantly. Genma was crouched in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, while Yuuka was beside her, arms protectively on her back.

"What happened?" Genma asked rocking back on his heels. Sayu looked to Yuuka, petrified.

"He…He's here. In Konoha." She whispered shakily, "Right now!" Yuuka and Genma both lifted her to her feet and guided her into Tsunade's office.

"Who exactly is this Ryu?" Tsunade asked them.

"Uh… well…" Masuto began, fumbling to find the right words.

"A servant of Orochimaru." Sayu said from her spot on the ground. She looked up from the hot tea in front of her to the Hokage. Tsunade slammed her fist down onto the table with tremendous force.

"What?" she demanded.

"Ryu is one of Orochimaru's most fanatic and loyal servants. He collected…people…for Orochimaru's experiments." Sayu continued, "Ryu isn't human. Well, he was, in his former life. He's also one of Orochimaru's experiments. His body is made up of many different bodies, the only thing left of his former self is his eye. He has seals all over him to keep himself in one piece and functioning. He's even got a part of Orochimaru's original body." Tsunade stared at Sayu completely shocked.

"How…How do you know all of this?" her attendant, Shizune asked when no one spoke. Sayu took a deep breath, and slowly stood, shakily pushing the sleeve of her shirt down over her shoulder, revealing the cursed seal in the crook of her neck.

"Because I was one of those experiments." She said as the room filled with gasps. The seal began to burn harshly. Sayu clutched her neck and dropped to her knees, crying out in pain. A pair of strong, iron-plated glove clad hands wrapped around her chest and arms, comforting her.

"How long ago did this happen?" Tsunade asked as the person behind Sayu pulled her gently against his chest.

"A little over six years ago." Yuuka replied for Sayu. Sayu looked up at the man who was cradling her against him.

"Kakashi." She whispered, he smiled down at her.

"So that's why you left." He said, oddly cheerful.

"If I told you, you'd try to help me. The only thing I could do was get as far away from Konoha as possible. Luckily I had already been chosen to be on this team." She said, wincing occasionally as searing pain shot through her body. Kakashi's eye narrowed whenever she winced.

"I will never forgive him." He whispered against her ear. Sayu smiled despite the pain, _He loves me. He still loves me._

"Sayu." Tsunade said breaking her out of her sweet moment, "Tell me everything beginning from when you first met Ryu."

"So, Ryu had made an appearance that night when you and Kakashi killed Nyoka and then returned months with Orochimaru to mark you. You left Konoha to protect it and spent a year on the run until Ryu managed to catch you, correct?" Tsunade summarized after Sayu finished telling her everything.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I can't really remember much about what happened that first year, my memory is still hazy. But I remember bits and pieces, nothing much about my procedures, but I do remember a lot about Ryu. He used to get lonely and talk to me about his life when I was either strapped to the table or locked up." Sayu said, "They kept making me blank out. After the last time, I woke up with blood under my fingernails and I knew I had to get out of there. So I escaped, but Ryu chased me. For four years I've been on the run from them and I thought that perhaps he'd finally given up. Seems I was wrong."

"We're sorry, Tsunade-sama. We had no intention of bring him here." Daiki said. Tsunade shook her head,

"No. You were unaware he was following you, and Sayu is a shinobi of Konoha. In Konoha, we protect our own," she said making eye contact to everyone in the room, "and our comrades." Kakashi's arms tightened around her protectively and she glanced up at the masked man who was staring at Tsunade. His face made her want to bite back her fear and face Ryu, like she had all those years ago. With him at her side, she knew she'd be strong enough to do anything.

"So what's the plan?" Masuto asked casually. Tsunade pursed her lips, thinking.

"The only thing we can do." She said standing and walking over to the window, "Fight this asshole."


End file.
